Deck 5: Deviance in Sports: Is It Out of Control

Question 1

Anarchy is the social condition that exists when

A)people use an absolutist approach to deviance.
B)law enforcement officers are overtrained.
C)supranormal actions are out of control.
D)widespread underconformity creates general lawlessness.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When using a constructionist approach, deviance is defined as ideas, traits, and actions that

A)harm other people or property.
B)disrupt the status quo in society.
C)fall outside of socially determined normative boundaries.
D)violates unchanging moral truths that exist in all societies.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

One of the reasons that it is difficult to study deviance in sports is that much of it involves actions grounded in

A)accepting and overconforming to norms in sport cultures.
B)a rejection of norms and expectations in society and sports.
C)strong feelings of despair and alienation among athletes and coaches.
D)a strong desire on the part of athletes to avoid responsibility.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

As the term is used by sociologists, deviance

A)always involves a violation of a law.
B)is punished only when it occurs in formal social situations.
C)refers to any action that is seen as different.
D)can involve a person's ideas and traits as well as actions.

Question 5

People using an absolutist approach tend to

A)see deviance as located in the person who engages in it.
B)resist "get tough" strategies for controlling deviance.
C)argue that we need fewer rules in sports.
D)see normative boundaries as changeable.

Question 6

According to an absolutist approach to studying deviance

A)norms vary from one situation to the next.
B)it does no good to punish people who violate norms.
C)all deviance is caused by a lack of moral character or a moral failure.
D)most people engage in little or no deviance during their lifetimes.

Question 7

It has become difficult to determine what actions are deviant and what actions are accepted parts of athletic training today because

A)athletic training occurs in settings where athletes are difficult to observe.
B)athletes tend to be less moral than other people.
C)people in sport organizations don't care about ethical issues.
D)all training involves surpassing limits that are accepted as normal in society.

Question 8

According to a constructionist approach, the process of negotiating normative boundaries is influenced by

A)the power dynamics that exist in a society or social world.
B)the human need to punish all forms of deviance.
C)the normative ideals of sociologists.
D)the idea that all deviance is harmful to human beings.

Question 9

When two college basketball players turn their back to the U.S.flag during the playing of the national anthem, they

A)violate an informal norm.
B)engage in formal deviance.
C)violate a formal norm.
D)offend people but violate no norms.

Question 10

Deviance may involve underconformity or overconformity to norms.The author explains that deviance involving underconformity consists of ideas, traits, or actions that

A)are inherently evil.
B)are subnormal.
C)can, in extreme cases, lead to fascism.
D)violate only those norms that are directly based on religious beliefs.

Question 11

Studying deviance in sports presents problems in that

A)psychological research shows that athletes have conforming personalities.
B)coaches enforce rules so strictly that deviance seldom occurs.
C)actions that are normal in sports may be deviant outside sports.
D)athletes don't understand the differences between sports and the rest of life.

Question 12

A social constructionist approach to deviance is based on

A)unchanging ideas about right and wrong.
B)a combination of cultural, interactionist, and structural theories.
C)the idea that any departure from moral ideals is a form of deviance.
D)the assumption that all people who engage in deviance lack moral character.

Question 13

Research on normative overconformity suggests that if we wish to understand this form of deviance we must

A)study child athletes rather than adult athletes.
B)avoid studying athletes in sports where injury rates are relatively high.
C)critically examine the organization and dynamics of elite sport cultures.
D)try to identify personality defects in athletes who overconform to norms.

Question 14

According to a constructionist approach, both norms and deviance are

A)unchangeable.
B)determined only by judges and courts.
C)based on religious ideals.
D)socially constructed through interaction.

Question 15

An absolutist approach to deviance in sports is based on the assumption that

A)there are no ideals in society.
B)humans have inborn tendencies to be evil.
C)humans have inborn tendencies to be moral.
D)unchanging moral truths are the foundation for all norms.

Question 16

A constructionist approach to deviance is based on the assumption that

A)most ideas, traits, and actions fall into a normally accepted range.
B)the more an action departs from an ideal, the more deviant it is.
C)all deviance involves overconformity to norms.
D)all deviance involves underconformity to norms.

Question 17

When a basketball player dribbles the ball out of bounds during a game, she has

A)committed a personal foul.
B)violated a formal norm.
C)engaged in informal deviance.
D)engaged in an immoral act.

Question 18

One of the reasons that it is difficult to study deviance in sports is that

A)athletic training occurs in settings where athletes are difficult to observe.
B)the types and causes of deviance in sports are very diverse.
C)people in sport organizations do not care about ethical issues.
D)there are rules that prohibit arresting athletes in some communities.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true about norms?

A)They differ from one situation ot the next.
B)They exist only in formal social situations.
C)They include both written laws and unwritten customs.
D)They are used to identify deviance.

Question 20

Deviance may involve underconformity or overconformity to norms.The author explains that deviance involving overconformity is

A)harmless.
B)so rare that it cannot be studied scientifically.
C)based on unquestioned acceptance of norms.
D)is generally uncontrollable.

Question 21

The most effective way to control deviant overconformity is to
A)help athletes set limits when conforming to the norms of the sport ethic.

A)teach coaches learn more effective ways to discipline athletes.
B)establish policies of zero tolerance of any form of deviance.
C)hire police officers to speak with athletes about the cost of crime.

Question 22

Athletes today sometimes seem to engage in more sport-related forms of deviance than athletes in the past because

A)coaches today are less concerned about control than they were in the past.
B)society is less orderly today than in the past.
C)sports and sport organizations have more rules today than in the past.
D)rules in sports are enforced more strictly today than in the past.

Question 23

The sport ethic is linked to deviance in sports because athletes

A)are unwilling to accept norms developed by others.
B)expect each other to overconform to its norms.
C)tend to be self-centered
D)come from families in which parents valued conformity.

Question 24

Research suggests that on-the-field deviance such as cheating and "dirty play" are

A)definitely more common today than in the past.
B)probably less common today than in the past.
C)only found in heavy contact sports.
D)nonexistent among today's athletes.

Question 25

Controlling deviant overconformity in sports presents a unique challenge because
A)coaches feel uncomfortable discussing rules for athletes.
A)people in many societies no longer respect any types of rules.

A)people in sports never learn to follow rules.
B)those who enforce team norms may not discourage overconformity.

Question 26

The athletes most likely to overconform to the norms of the sport ethic are those who see achievement as their only way to get ahead and those who have

A)identities based on what they do and who they know outside of sports.
B)agents who have negotiated special performance clauses in their contracts.
C)a low physical tolerance for pain and a desire to avoid risks in sports.
D)a strong need to be accepted as athletes by their peers in sports.

Question 27

The sport ethic becomes a source of dangerous deviance in sports when

A)athletes raise too many questions about its meaning.
B)people in sports don't set boundaries to limit overconformity to the ethic.
C)athletes reject the norms of the sport ethic and make up their own rules.
D)referees do not take the sport ethic seriously when they enforce rules.

Question 28

When there is a collective sense of hubris on a team, it is likely that some athletes will

A)feel a sense of entitlement in the general community.
B)become social activists and community leaders.
C)feel a special need to follow the law in the general community.
D)question the loyalty and commitment of their teammates.

Question 29

Media coverage usually concludes that deviance in sports is the result of

A)weak character and greed.
B)the social organization of sports.
C)the influence of drugs.
D)cultural definitions of masculinity.

Question 30

Social processes in elite power and performance sports often lead groups of athletes to develop hubris at the same time that these social processes
A)create hostility between athletes.

A)lead athletes to reject their coaches.
B)separate athletes from the rest of the community.
C)lead people in the community to dislike and disdain athletes.

Question 31

The author points ot that the seemingly endless parade of cheating scandals in the big-time NCAA sport programs and other sport governing bodies is four factors.Which of the following is NOT one of those factors?

A)A lack of transparency and accountability in sport prganizations.
B)Sport governing bodies are unprepared to investigate themselves.
C)Self-policing strategies create inherent conflicts of interest in sports.
D)Sport leaders are so diverse that they cannot agree on social control strategies.

Question 32

When athletes collectively overconform to the norms of the sport ethic, they may develop hubris, which leads them to see themselves as separate from and superior to the rest of the community.The author explains that this hubris

A)provides a strong incentive to do excessive community service.
B)leads to a sense of entitlement and lack of concern for people outside their sport.
C)makes athletes uncoachable and destroys a foundation for teamwork.
D)discourages all forms of deviance on and off the field.

Question 33

Athletes who engage in deviant underconformity are usually punished or cut from teams; athletes who engage in deviant overconformity are

A)ridiculed in the media.
B)rejected by teammates.
C)seen by fans as having weak character.
D)likely to experience health problems as a result.

Question 34

To make changes that would decrease deviant overconformity, sport would have to be organized around a commitment to

A)the Olympic motto, "higher, stronger, faster."
B)the moral standards preferred by most sports fans.
C)the rules developed by coaches.
D)the health and well-being of athletes.

Question 35

The author suggests that athletes engage in overconformity in sports because of their desire to

A)win games, meets, and matches.
B)make money and become famous.
C)play and be accepted as an athlete by other athletes.
D)avoid media coverage and excessive attention from fans.

Question 36

Controlling deviant overconformity in sports requires a close examination of the

A)backgrounds of athletes, coaches, and spectators.
B)economics of sport.
C)moral characters of athletes and coaches.
D)meaning and organization of sports.

Question 37

Understanding deviance in sports requires an understanding of "the sport ethic." Which of the following beliefs is NOT one of the core norms of the sport ethic?

A)An athlete strives for distinction.
B)An athlete accepts no obstacles in the pursuit of success.
C)An athlete accepts pain but avoids risks.
D)An athlete is dedicated to "the game."

Question 38

When athletes collectively dedicate themselves to a goal and willingly endure pain and make sacrifices to achieve it, they often create a social world in which

A)coaches lose control of players.
B)players tend to burn out at high rates.
C)the athletes cannot understand the motivation of teammates.
D)deviant overconformity becomes normalized.

Question 39

A reason that athletes may overconform to the norms of the sport ethic is because they

A)seek identity reaffirmation from other athlete.
B)were pressured by their parents to play sports.
C)want to be seen as normal by people outside of sports.
D)want to be seen as better than their fellow athletes.

Question 40

Research on deviance in sports is limited in that it focuses primarily on

A)people with power in spot organizations.
B)deviant overconformity among athletes and coches.
C)the underconformity of athletes.
D)the institutional corruption of professional sports.

Question 41

Information from inside high performance sports suggests that doping is seen as

A)a normal part of the process of training, recovery, and competition.
B)an indication of moral corruption and weak moral character.
C)a management driven strategy to control athletes
D)something that fans expect and encourage.

Question 42

The author describes a model of a professional athlete's career to show that

A)cyclists use drugs in order to do their jobs successfully.
B)medical support staff are trained to discourage drug use by athletes.
C)very few professional cyclists use performance enhancing substances.
D)cyclists at all levels of competition feel a need to use drugs when they race.

Question 43

The author suggests that doping control will not be successful until
A)the culture and structure of high performance sports are changed.

A)efforts are made to eliminate sexism and homophobia in sports.
B)athletes get over their extreme fears of new technology in sports.
C)local police and the FBI join forces with sport organizations.

Question 44

Research that high rates of alcohol use and binge drinking

A)exist for athletes across all age levels and for males and females.
B)have caused coaches to test athletes before practices.
C)exist only are common among athletes only during the off-season.
D)linked with a culture in which partying and drinking are expected.

Question 45

The author point out that the most effective way to control cheating, corruption, harassment, and abuse in sports is to

A)turn all rule enforcement over to athletes.
B)abandon self- enforcement and create an independent enforcement agency.
C)create a government agency to police all sport organizations.
D)make sport administrators more accountable for the success of teams.

Question 46

When Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance enhancing substances, many of his fans condemned him as the embodiment of evil because they

A)had spent excessive amounts of money on bicycles and cycling equipment.
B)experienced extreme cognitive dissonance.
C)felt that he had also lied about having cancer.
D)had resisted the use of illegal and prescription drugs in their own lives.

Question 47

Research on sport participation and general delinquency rates generally shows that delinquency rates among athletes are

A)often lower than rates for other students from similar backgrounds.
B)always higher than rates among other students from similar backgrounds.
C)lower than rates among other students only for football players.
D)higher among golfers and tennis players than among football players.

Question 48

Sport programs that are designed as "interventions" for "at risk youth" are seldom successful because they

A)are managed by people who have no knowledge of crime and delinquency.
B)do nothing to change the conditions in which these youth live their lives.
C)attract the young people with the most serious criminal records.
D)force young people to reject the communities where they live.

Question 49

The people most likely to agree with the war on doping as waged by WADA and USADA are

A)professional athletes.
B)retired professional athletes.
C)believers in the great sport myth.
D)people who believe that sports are for leisure only

Question 50

According to the career model discussed in the chapter, when long time professional athletes retire from full time, year round training and competition and re-enter the "ordinary world," they

A)quickly embrace previously held identities.
B)find it difficult to become normal in that world.
C)enjoy the relative peacefulness of everyday life.
D)usually return to amateur competition in their sport.

Question 51

According to the author, winning is important to long time professional athletes because they

A)have made commitments to their coaches.
B)are addicted to their own celebrity status.
C)don't want to disappoint their fans.
D)want to remain in their sports.

Question 52

According to the author, winning is important to long time professional athletes because they

A)have made commitments to their coaches.
B)are addicted to their own celebrity status.
C)don't want to disappoint their fans.
D)want to remain in their sports.

Question 53

Research and media reports shows that gambling on sports

A)has declined due to effective policing by sport organizations.
B)is connected with match-fixing by emerging gambling cartels worldwide.
C)is caused by the economic crises that affect families worldwide.
D)occurs mostly in legal gambling venues in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Monaco.

Question 54

Data presented in the chapter indicate that felony rates among NFL players are
A)twice as high as they are for comparable men in the society as a whole.

A)lower than they are for comparable men in the society as a whole.
B)highest among players who make the minimum salary in the NFL.
C)so low that they should not be considered as a problem.

Question 55

According to the career model discussed in the chapter, when long time professional athletes retire from full time, year round training and competition and re-enter the "ordinary world," they

A)quickly embrace previously held identities.
B)find it difficult to become normal in that world.
C)enjoy the relative peacefulness of everyday life.
D)usually return to amateur competition in their sport.

Question 56

There often is confusion when discussing hazing a a form of sport-related deviance because hazing is

A)basically the same as bullying.
B)a public process that is perceived as offensive by nonathletes.
C)a problem for professional teams but noth high school or college teams.
D)not distinguished from related but different processes.

Question 57

Historical data suggests that most substance use and abuse among athletes is due to

A)overconformity to the sport ethic among athletes.
B)a lack of dedication among athletes.
C)defective socialization among athletes.
D)a lack of moral character among athletes.

Question 58

The model of a professional athlete's career shows that when athletes move from the amateur level to the professional level in a sport like cycling, they

A)focus exclusively on maintaining their overall health and well-being.
B)learn that overconformity to the norms of the sport ethic is deviant.
C)train so intensely that it causes physiological damage to their bodies.
D)avoid using technologies that their competitors don't use.

Question 59

Information on institutional corruption in sports is scarce partly because gathering that information

A)is tedious and dangerous.
B)does not interest sociologists or investigative journalists.
C)is not important to the future of sports..
D)requires research skills that neither sociologists nor journalists possess.

Question 60

After reviewing research on academic cheating the author points out that rates of cheating among athletes
A)are lower than they are for other students.

A)have declined ever since coaches have established mandatory study programs.
B)are lower only than the rates among fraternity and sorority members.
C)have not been studied adequately to make any definite conclusions.

Question 61

The author's recommendations for controlling substance use in sports call for a policy that involves

A)teaching athletes to accept the norms of the sport ethic without question.
B)more effective surveillance and detection procedures. preventing athletes from competing unless they are certified as healthy.
D)using sport science to improve performance in sports.

Question 62

The author says that the best way to begin to control substance use in sports is to
A)allow sport scientists to take control of elite sport programs.

A)encourage athletes to be more loyal to their sports and their fellow athletes.
B)critically examine and eliminate the hypocrisy involved in elite sports.
C)require all sport teams to hire medical support staff.